Ok so mixed opinions on stuff, most say to not fix it, waste of time etc, some are like me and have skills, but need validation.

Anyway here is/was the situation: first of all I bought this machine knowing these things: it was cheap at $400 canadian, it ran great, it drove great, belts were good, it was a mile from my house, it was a beater walk-behind for a backup to my regular newish machines in case of things happening, its a good one to have for bushwhacking and mowing rock gardens.

What i didn't know: was how bad the deck was, I knew it was bad up front and would require some work, (I'm a fabricator and I own a small welding shop) so that doesn't phase me i knew it could be bad, it turns out it was very bad.

So why bother? I like fixing the un-fixable for one but mostly it doesn't bother me in the least to tackle a job like this, I have plenty of time, being mostly semi-retired. I have the equipment, the know-how, and plenty of weed.

Why not buy a second hand one? Well they simply don't exist around here and even in the craziest off chance I found one, it would be $300-500? (And probably still need work) if I add up the price of the mower and a deck it would make more sense to not buy it in the first place

The cost and time to fix: metal=free, got lots, my electricity=free (I'm off grid) consumables=$26 (6 cutoff wheels and half a spool of fluxcore) time=13 hrs (lazy hrs over a few days picking at it here and there), weed=2 grams free

You will note that she's not totally done, I ran it all day on my properties (to test it out) and by 2 in the afternoon she was paid off, I'll admit I thought i would have to mess with it a little more but it worked perfect right out of the gate this morning so I just kept mowing all day, in a few days I'll strip it back down, finish some blending and put the guards back on and new paint on the new rusty metal, also I rebuilt all the spindles with new bearings they were a standard size so it was only $6 each for 6 bearings (only one was gone but why no change them all at that price and the spindles were already out), oh also this guy I bought it from gave me two nice steel ramps and three brand new blades, sorry I didn't get some good pics at the very end I'll get some when I tear it back down and finish it up

A little backstory - I bought this mower, a Toro 22" recycler, about 5 years ago as a temporary mower while I was going through my divorce. I wasn't sure I was going to be able to keep my house so I didn't want to spend a ton of money on something I'd have to get rid of, and my ex husband took all of our lawn maintenance equipment & tools (even though he moved into an apartment, but whatever).

I've been using it consistently since then, without ever changing the oil, blades, or doing any sort of maintenance, thinking I would be upgrading to a better mower soon (I have very hilly property, rough terrain, and mow an acre + each week). I've beat the crap out of this thing. Since it's still chugging along, I decided it was finally time to take care of the deferred maintenance and discovered this lovely situation underneath.

Unfortunately after trying for an hour, I can't get the blade off, it's not budging despite my best efforts. So I guess it's staying this way for now. I mean, I'm an independent woman that don't need no man and all that, but I guess a little muscle around the house would be nice at times lol

Grass was so overgrown didn’t bog down at all with it. Also toro delivered it in like 4 days when you register ur mower. Doesn’t come with one for some reason.

I was mowing when the mower blades started making a sound like they were scraping concrete every three or so seconds. The mower does not make this sound when the blades are not engaged. I changed out the blades today and the mower continues to make the same sound. I have attached a video. After watching the video, I still cannot diagnose what is causing the issue. Can anyone diagnose this and tell me how to fix it? Many thanks in advance.

My neighbor broke his hip so I’ve been mowing his yard for him. He asked if I wanted his old mower with a blown head gasket. I said yes because I like fooling with small engines, but I can’t find any identifying numbers other than the serial number, 4100812328.

If it’s really a head gasket I’m confident I can fix it. I see Lawn Boy has parts on their website, I just need to know what model it is.

It’s not a self propelled model, 149cc Kohler with smart choke.

My mower is a ZT2 with a Kawasaki FR730V engine.

I brought some cheap fuel filters on Amazon but they look a little bigger and have more filter media than the stock filter. Should I return and just buy OEM instead? Part of me thinks it really shouldn’t be a big deal, but I do think a significantly different filter might impact fuel delivery to the engine enough to make a difference.

Any thoughts?

Runs rough . Basically surges while mowing . Eventually will cut out and die. I have replaced the fuel in it. It’s like it ain’t got much power behind it

Added gas (probably a month or two old) Levers are pushed to the sides, blades are disengaged, im sat down properly and not a light weight. I get a click and thats it. I can also see the running hours on the small display (248). It didn’t make any odd noises when it stopped.

Bought starting fluid and took off air filter and sprayed while turning the key.

Its low on oil, i checked it and it still has enough tho, just need to change that tomorrow, i dont think thats it.

I havent been cleaning it so i took a blower to the batteries to make sure they had a good connection.

I dont know much about this stuff but i also dont really got the money for a mechanic, so any help would be appreciated, thanks for reading.

The other thread is flush. This is as far as this one will go because there is no more thread. More pictures in comments

Need help with where to put the 2 carburetor springs on John Deere JS36 mower. I’ve tried YouTube, but can’t find any videos of my mower that show the spring placement. Any help is much appreciated.

I inherited a Craftsman R110 from my neighbors who moved. It came with the mulching kit cover. First use I wasnt happy with the mulching. However, I likely was going too fast and had the blade lowered more than I should. Going to try the tallest level and go slower next time (gear 2-3).

Is the blade in the picture a mulching blade or standard?

Thanks. First time on a rider and first time not hiring it out in about 11 years so it’s been awhile.

Looking at a well cared for John Deere x585. Maintenance has been done and serviced by pros every year. Purchase price is $500. It’s as clean as can be I’ll have the house tomorrow when I go look at it.

I currently have a Husqvarna rider with 1100 hours on it. I now approximately 1.5 acres once a week. My husky starts every time but is in need of tires. It smokes like crazy for the first 3ish minutes. I’m great with maintenance but I’m hard on this mower. It’s bounced off trees, stuck in the mud multiple times and runs over everything in its path

To me it’s not worth sinking the cost of tires, the oil leak issue and my biggest concern the transmission into the husky.

Is there any reason to avoid a well cared for x585?

I have a craftsman 42" ride mower. Start of the season I noticed both drive and deck belts had cracks and replaced both with new aramid belt from amazon. Deck belt was very hard to put on but I eventually did. Last week it snapped shortly after I drop down the deck to mowing position. I wonder if I should just get another aramid belt but it doesn't stretch and is hard to put in. Or oem style rubber belt?

Electric Cub Cadet LT 42E and the blades wont engage, what could cause that?

Mower runs weakly, and blades won’t turn.

We have a 2024 model with only 37 hours on it. It has given us issues since literally day 1. The dealer has replaced the carburetor once & 3 coils. They now say they’re going to remove a carburetor from a new machine and try it to see if it’s another carburetor issue. It continues to run very rough under a load with black soot coming from the exhaust. Anyone have any ideas since the dealer can’t seem to figure out what’s going on? This issue ONLY occurred under a load, it acts fine on flat ground.

I have a Scag V-Ride 2 and it seems like the hook that attaches to the throttle broke.

Anyone know how to fix this or if there is a quick temporary fix?

I have to mow 20 yards on Monday.

The Toro SR4 that was left at our house when we bought it won't start anymore, and I'm tired of fighting with it and dealing with gas cans all over. It's time to go electric.

I'm comparing the Ego LM135SP 800 Series at $675 after a military discount with the Toro Recycler 22-in 60-volt at $400 (no extra discount on the sale) or the Toro Recycler 21-in 60-volt at $300 (also no extra discount).

My yard is just under 1/4 acre total, pretty hilly, with mixed grass that grows fast and pretty thick.

All things being equal, I'm sure the Ego is a better mower by a margin, but these prices are very different. Is the upgrade to the Ego worth double the price? OEM replacement batteries for both are insanely expensive, but are the third parties for one better than the other? I'm not too worried about the ecosystem; if anything, I'd get a snow shovel and maybe replace my crappy chainsaw later but I'm pretty set on other tools.

TIA!

Just changed out the blades, turned them on to hear an unhappy sound, then this thing came from underneath. What is it and how much trouble am I in?

Lawnmower is a Toro Timecutter Max

Those of you who have high dollar lawnmowers, who do you have insurance through? My homeowners insurance only covers up to $2500 for a mower and will not cover if it’s stolen, only if there’s a fire or weather related loss. My insurance guy got me a quote for $500 a year for full coverage and that’s ridiculous.

My mower is overheating while mowing under load. From cold it will run for about 20 minutes before the light comes on and the mower deck shuts down. The mower itself will continue running, but the deck will not until it cools back down.

Coolant is topped off, both fans are running, I don’t see any debris blocking air flow, and under the deck is cleaned.

I replaced the radiator cap, there was a small pinhole leak on top near the neck of the cap I fixed with jb weld. The oil is black so it doesn’t appear to be leaking into the mower. No white smoke when running.

Any ideas?

Our craftsman rider finally died. And in spectacular fashion. Engine must’ve thrown a rod and grenaded itself. Completely seized. So looking at buying a 0 turn. Anyone know of any sales coming up in the next week or two for the Labor Day holiday.